Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen have agreed a deal for the signing of Granit Xhaka. The midfielder will cost €25 million to go from north London to the Bundesliga. Xhaka, who played for the Gunners in 297 games over the course of seven seasons, is entering the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium and will be 31 in September. Within the next 24 hours, an official statement is anticipated. Following the completion of contracts with West Ham United and Ajax, Declan Rice, and Jurrien Timber will have their Arsenal medicals within the next seventy-two hours. Both players’ personal agreements have been agreed upon in general, and both might join Arsenal by the beginning of the next week. It would increase Arsenal’s investment in this window above £200 million, providing another evidence of Edu and the board’s support for manager Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka leaving has opposing views, which is somewhat natural given how he has split opinions at Arsenal. It is unquestionably the correct time now that he is 30 and entering the last year of his contract. He will be missed, yet, it is also true. Few could have imagined that a player who had been jeered at by his own supporters and deprived of the leadership three and a half years prior would one day depart on a high. When he received criticism for receiving a red card against Liverpool in January of last year, it seemed improbable at the time.
His sixth expulsion as an Arsenal player came at Anfield for a last-man foul on Diogo Jota, and it was seen as evidence that he would never be able to change his ways completely. Fans who had earlier cast doubt on him, though, could be heard shouting his name on an emotional day at the Emirates Stadium for the last game of the previous season against Wolves.
“When it comes to expenditure, Arsenal are actually in a very strong position,” Kieran Maguire said. “Arsenal’s pay is less than it was in 2018. They cost between £150 and £170 million less than Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool. They now have the freedom to shop the market and acquire new players without experiencing too much anxiety.”
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